Rurouni and Battousai
by aoi mizu no tenshi
Summary: A slight mishap on Kenshin's part when he accidentaly read a separation spell in Kaoru's little book, completely separating our dear Rurouni and Battousai. Now with an over protective rurouni and a seductive Battousai on the loose, what's a girl to do!
1. prologue

Rurouni and Battousai

Prologue

**It's been a year since I've stayed here in the dojo. Its been quite peaceful… except for a few minor problems, we've managed to pull through.** Kenshin smiled as he continued to wash the laundry. **The only problem around here is sessha and Kaoru-dono…**

_I'm glad you've got that right… idiot._

Stopping in mid-motion, he winced internally when he realized just who had answered his thoughts. His second persona was out to torture him yet again.

**Ohayou to you to, Battousai.**

_Hmph. You know exactly what's the problem you damned idiot. _

**Sessha has no problem.**

Yeah right. You keep on telling that to yourself. Baka 

**What exactly is your problem!** The rurouni yelled to Battousai deep within his head

You! Why can't you just accept the love that she is, or should I say, has been willing to give to you!

Don't you understand! She doesn't deserve sessha… she deserves someone much better than a demon like us.

Are you really that stupid, rurouni! Can't you see her eyes, the way she's hurting! Just leave me alone The hell I will! Why don't you just… 

His head snapping up at the sound of a loud noise, Kenshin blocked the debate raging in his head to investigate what had happened. Dropping the clothes he was currently scrubbing at that time, he dashed towards the commotion. Skidding to a halt, Kenshin coughed at the dust that had emerged from the storage room. As soon as the cloud had settled, he finally saw the mess inside… including an upside down swirly eyed Kaoru Kamiya.

Carefully entering and watching his step, Kenshin made his way to her and helped her to stand up.

"Daijobou ka, Kaoru-dono?"

Still swirly eyed, Kaoru merely handed him a worn out notebook and walked carelessly out of the room ion a daze, occasionally tripping over the litter, and mumbling something about finding an old recipe.

Looking at the notebook in his hands, he opened the pages and noticed that it was actually pretty old. The writings were faded and some had already been erased. His eyes catching one particular entry, he began to read it out loud.

"A spell as old as time,

A life as bright as the morning sun,

Reveal the truth

Separate two hearts

Separate two souls

Give each a freedom to do thy will

A sacred spell by the four constellations

Ignite thy power

In the circle of the full moon

So mote it be."

Kenshin scratched his head and closed the notebook. "What is this all about de gozaru?" he wondered out loud. Shaking his head, he placed the book inside his gi and followed the dazed kenjutsu shihondai out of the storage room.

Unfortunately for our dear Rurouni, that night was the start of the full moon.

Early the next day, Kenshin awoke to a faint throbbing in his head. "Oro… my head hurts de gozaru…." He muttered out loud as he rubbed his head gingerly.

"Kuso. You can say that again."

Kenshin's eyes snapped open as he bolted straight up from his bed, only find himself face to face with an amber eyed version of himself.

"Oro!"

"Che!"

"What the hell's going on!" came the duet with an additional de gozaru coming from the amethyst eyed rurouni.

Both head turned to the doorway when it slowly opened. "Kenshin, what's wrong? I thought I heard you…" voice trailing away, Kaoru stared at the two identical red head before her. One amber eyed, the other amethyst eyed. She stared at them for quite sometime before she fell to a dead faint.

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AN: Whoeeee! Battousai / Kaoru / Kenshin story! Whoeee! Warning! Major fluffiness and craziness in this story! Lemon parts in later chapters but I'm not posting them here. Review okies minna? Ja ne!

Aoi-chan


	2. the trouble starts

Rurouni and Battousai

Chapter 1: The trouble starts

Kaoru opened her eyes and groaned. She blinked owlishly up at the ceiling, only to find a worried rurouni by her side. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply and looked up at him again. She smiled weakly.

"Kenshin… I just had the weirdest dream… I thought I saw two of you when I came into your room." She chuckled as she sat up on her futon… or so she thought.

As she looked down on the futon below her, her eyes widened when she realized that it wasn't her futon, looking to her left, she gasped when she saw that it wasn't her room she was in. It was Kenshin's.

Looking at the rurouni sitting quietly beside her, she opened her mouth to ask him what had happened when her sapphire orbs registered another figure sitting behind him. Her mouth remained open as the other figure lifted his head and stare at her with glittering amber eyes. She uttered a faint shriek as she moved to the wall behind her.

"Nani? Two of you!" she stuttered uncontrollably as she pointed from one to the other. "What happened!"

The rurouni merely shook his head. "I don't know Kaoru-dono. When I woke up… I had a major headache, then I came face to face with my other persona… literally."

She blinked again. "Demo… how…"

"That sessha doesn't know."

Kaoru slowly composed herself and looked directly in his eye. "Don't you remember anything that might have caused this?" she asked him

"Nothing. It's been quiet these past few months. I don't recall anything unusual around the dojo."

Looking past Kenshin her eyes locked with that of amber. "Demo… if it wasn't done by anyone, do you remember anything unusual, anything that you've done?"

Both men looked thoughtful for a while before battousai snapped his fingers. "Oi, rurouni! Didn't you read something yesterday?"

The rurouni looked thoughtful for a moment before realization dawned on his face. "Hai. I remember de gozaru! It was written inside that worn out notebook that Kaoru-dono passed to me yesterday inside the storage room."

Kaoru stiffened at the mention of an old notebook. She eyed the rurouni warily. "Did you mean of a very, as in very, very old notebook?"

Both looked at her. "Hai." As Kenshin answered her, she jumped up and raced to her room and come back after a few moment with the aforesaid notebook in hand. Flopping down beside the rurouni she showed them the notebook.

"Is this it?" she asked him a bit nervously

"Hai. That's the one." Battousai told her

"Can you remember just exactly what you read in this notebook?"

Battousai took the notebook in her shaking hands and flipped through the pages until he found the page he was looking for and showed it to Kaoru.

Her sapphire eyes widened, "Please don't tell me that you read this out loud…"

"Sessha did de gozaru… doushite?"

Kaoru groaned and shook her head. This was trouble.

Battousai looked at her and frowned. "Just what is this notebook exactly and what happened to us?"

Kaoru looked from one to the other. "This is a notebook which my okaasan gave to me when I was still little. I remember that she used to be a priestess at the water temple. She passed this notebook down to me in hopes that I would follow her footsteps in being a miko." She shook her head ruefully, "Yeah right, miko. If she only knew what her daughter had become of today…" she muttered under her breath, "Anyway, this notebook is filled with all sorts of spells and incantations… and the one you've just read, is the one responsible for your current position. It's a spell to separate two souls."

Looking at the two men seated beside her she looked at them worriedly. "And the reason that this page is marked," she showed the red mark on top of the page, "is because my mother have never found a way to reverse this type of spell."

Amethyst and amber eyes widened at her words. "Are you telling us that we are going to be stuck like this forever!" they both shouted

The rurouni looked flabbergasted, so did battousai, except battousai's shock turned into a dark smirk.

"So does this mean that I'm totally separated with this nitwit seated beside you?"

Kaoru's eyes widened at what he said and nodded mutely. "Hai. As the spell goes, the two of you have now been completely separated. Two hearts, two souls… each with your own will."

The rurouni stared at his second persona. "Just what the heck do you mean by that?" he asked battousai.

Battousai smirked as he eyed Kaoru hungrily as she stood up and made her way out of the room, turning back to the rurouni he eyed the other to try and stop him. Standing to follow her he smirked darkly and left the gaping rurouni inside the room.

"Kaoru."

The young kenjutsu shihondai turned slowly when she heard his deep, husky voice behind her. She stood stock still when Battousai came closer to her and grasped her chin, tilting her head to meet his.

"You won't have to worry about me leaving, Kaoru..." he whispered huskily to her ear, "I'm quite comfortable with this arrangement." he told her before landing a chaste kiss on her soft lips.

Kaoru stood dumbstruck even after he had left her. As she shook herself back into reality, she flushed brick red when she saw the Rurouni standing outside his room and having seen the episode between her and Battousai, now had the fringes of his blood red hair covering his eyes, hiding whatever emotion he was feeling at the moment.

Kaoru flushed deeper and she consciously tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Ummm… I'll go and tell the others what happened here so that they'd know what to do…" she whispered in a rush. "and I'll try to find a way to reverse this spell…" she added the last more to herself than to anyone.

As she turned, the rurouni lifted his head and gazed knowingly at her. "Hai… you do that Kaoru-dono, and make it fast before Battousai could do something he shouldn't do." He whispered as he looked directly to the tree where Battousai could be seen smirking dangerously at him.

Now that the Battousai has full reign of his actions, there was no way of telling what he would do. Especially to a certain blue eyed swordswoman.

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AN: Whoeeeeee! A new story to add to the last! Hope you guys enjoy this… lemon chapies again in later parts and again, me not post it here. You'll find it in my yahoo group. Ja ne! revies again!

Aoi-chan


	3. the challenge

Rurouni and Battousai

Chapter 2: The challenge.

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"So, how the heck do we fix this, jou-chan"

Kaoru sighed and looked at the rooster head sitting next to her, beside him sat Megumi and Yahiko. All three pairs of eyes watched her as she nibbled absently on her fingertips.

"I really don't know. I don't have enough training to counter a spell such as this. I mean, look at me, I'm not exactly miko type here" she whispered a bit faster than she should have, revealing the tension and anxiety she felt at the moment as she eyed the happily scrubbing rurouni and the stone-cold quiet battousai sitting directly before them. She frowned a bit more when she realized as she stared into Battousai, that he can hear what they were talking about when a smirk made its way to his normally impassive features.

"Kuso. Lets go inside and talk about this." she whispered hurriedly to Sano as she stood up, avoiding the heated look that Battousai shot her.

"What's wrong with discussing it here" Sano asked as she hurriedly stood up.

Turning to glare back at him, she merely mouthed the words to him and grinned when at least Sano had the mind to pick up what she meant.

"He can hear us, bakayarou"

Battousai can't help but chuckle at the four who have just entered the dojo with Kaoru shutting the shoji firmly shut. "My, my, my... looks like my Kaoru is quite sharp..." he muttered quietly

"It's good that she keeps her guard up when it comes to you."

Amber eyes lowered to gaze at the Rurouni still bent scrubbing the laundry. "Hnnn, what's wrong Rurouni? Slightly pissed because I get to do what you're to scared to do"

The Rurouni straightened and looked directly in his mirror images amber eyes. "You didn't have any right to do that to Kaoru-dono, more importantly, you never had the right."

Battousai smirked and jumped down from the tree he was currently sitting on and landed gracefully on the ground before the Rurouni.

"Never had the right? Who said that I don't, and never will have the right Rurouni? Only you said that, only you dictated that stupid idea. Everyone knows that she's my woman... everyone, even Jin-eh saw that." he silkily told him

Fire blazed within amethyst orbs. "She shouldn't be tainted with anyone such as us" she growled

Amber flashed defiantly"Wrong you idiot. She already had been tainted by us. No matter what you do, everyone will come after her, knowing that she's our woman, nothing will change that fact. Why do you keep on fighting the fact that she already belongs to us... wait.. correction, to me."

The rurouni gritted his teeth and clenched his fists"You will not touch her" he growled deep with in his throat.

A cold smirk was his only answer"Watch me." he told the Rurouni before he turned his back to him and strode purposely to the dojo. Sliding the shoji door open with a loud snap, he strode inside. The Rurouni stood there staring at him for a moment, shocked at his challenge, before it finally hit him and he ran right into the dojo just in time to see him grab Kaoru by the waist and planted one of his hands on her nape and kissed her deeply despite her muffled protest in front of their friends.

Sano and Yahiko's mouth fell open and Megumi gasped when Battousai strode in the dojo and made his way straight to Kaoru. The young shihondai could only gasp in surprise before he hauled her up on her feet and planted his hands on her waist and nape and kissed her thoroughly.

Kuso. Kenshin is kissing her. Sano thought as he stared wide eyed at the two lovers before him.

Yahiko could only stare in surprise at what Kenshin did, wait correction, Battousai did, he thought as the Rurouni came charging in and stand stock still watching as his darker persona kiss the girl he was protecting... even from himself.

Kaoru tried to protest Battousai's action but only succeeding in inflaming his actions even further when he drew her closer to his lean frame. She gasped and moaned out loud, completely forgetting the audience they had when his tongue swept in to taste her. Leaning closer to him, Kaoru tentatively lifted her arms to wrap themselves around him.

Their jaws slacked even more when Kaoru lifted her arms around his neck and her answering groan to his kiss. Even the rurouni could only stare at Kaoru and Battousai kissing passionately. He bit his lip hard. That's not fair! he thought, jealousy reddening his gaze. It's not fair! I've always been out here trying to protect her, protect her from everything even from my self that I denied myself the pleasure of taking her as mine, and now only after a day after this stupid spell caused me and Battousai to split, he claims the kiss that I've been wanting to have from the moment I saw her!

"Yamero" he finally shouted when he couldn't take it any longer. Any more of their kissing and he just might be able to break that non-killing vow thing and kill his own darker personality.

Battousai relinquished her lips a bit slower than the Rurouni could have wanted, his hand dropped to his sword on his side at the smug smirk that lay plastered on Battousai's face.

"You are simple delectable... Kaoru..." he whispered huskily against her lips as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. Nuzzling her neck, he savored the way she gasped before he let his arms drop and turn to face the angry Rurouni. He smirked even more.

"Too bad, you never really had the chance to taste her did you" he whispered to the Rurouni as he went past him"Intoxicatingly sweet."

He clenched his fists even more and when he looked at Kaoru, he felt as if someone had punched the wind out of him. She stood there wide eyed and dazed, her cheeks pink with embarrassment and her lips slightly red and swollen... evidence that she had just been thoroughly kissed. Jealousy and anger surged right back to him. Swiftly turning on his ankle, he followed Battousai out on the main grounds.

"What the hell did you just do to her" he growled out to him

Battousai merely looked at him"I just kissed her."

"Kissed! KISSED! YOU JUST RAVAGED HER IN FRONT OF THE OTHERS" he yelled out loud

A dark, seductive smile crept to his lips"I don't classify that as ravage... just yet."

The Rurouni could only stare for a moment before he exploded once again. "Don't you dare touch her again..." he whispered with cold fury.

An answering smirk. "Or what Rurouni? What would you do" he whispered as he slowly made his way to face his gentler side"you can't kill me... 'cause we're one and the same. Same person only with different personalities molded by different times... so, what would you do" he challenged the other. "I am only doing what I have thought of doing to her for quite a long time. And as for you, you can't deny the fact that you want her as well, you can't deny it because I know you, as well as you know me. Now, the question is, what are you going to do about it, Rurouni... I've made my move... what's yours"

The Rurouni could only stare at his counterpart quietly. The anger had left him as soon as he had heard those words. _Can't deny the fact that you want her as well... _he stood there pondering on what Battousai had said._ I've made my move... what's yours... _It was clearly a challenge.

A challenge and the prize was the sweetest any could have ever imagined.

The Rurouni stood there before a cold smile made its way to his handsome face. Battousai was right, there was no denying the fact that he was hopelessly in love with a certain blue eyed kenjutsu shihondai.

He smiled darkly as his amethyst gaze rested at the back of the former hitokiri.

Let the games begin.

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AN: WhoooooooEeeeeee! Third chapie! Hope you guys like this one and hope to hear more revies from you! Muah muah! Doomo!

Aoi-chan


	4. confusion

Rurouni and Battousai

Chapter 3: Confusion

"Whoa…. Shit… jou-chan… you ok?"

Kaoru blinked owlishly before her senses registered just what Sano said. Flushing red as a tomato, she held her face with both her hands as she sunk down on her knees before them.

Megumi rushed to the younger girls side. Worry and concern evident on her cinnamon orbs as she wrapped her arms around her.

"Daijobou, Kaoru-chan?" she whispered.

The younger girl could only stare up at her, shock, elation and worry clashed with one another. It was obvious that Kaoru had no idea what's happening, with no mother or sister to guide her, Megumi's face hardened with the resolve that she would be the one to guide her as the little sister that she have already become to her.

"Come with me, Kaoru… we need to talk."

Kaoru merely nodded and wobbly stood up, hands held by the female doctor, she could only faintly hear the elder girls quiet commanding voice as she ordered the two to watch both the rurouni and battousai. And make sure that Battousai doesn't come following after them to the clinic.

"Why the heck would you want to bring Kaoru with you to the clinic?" Sano asked exasperatingly.

"Because, there are some things that only women are supposed to talk about. Sano no baka." She hissed right to his ear.

Kaoru watched in mild fascination at the two bickering at each other. It wasn't until she felt Yahiko's small hands close over her own that she looked down in mild surprise. She kneeled down to look at her apprentice's eyes.

"Daijobou, Yahiko?" she whispered.

The self proclaimed Tokyo samurai tilted his head in disbelief. "I wasn't the one who have just been kissed thoroughly… are you alright?"

Kaoru blushed as she looked at Yahiko and couldn't help but smile sweetly at him. Reaching up to ruffle his hair, she leaned forward to give him a big, warm, sisterly hug.

"Arigatou, Yahiko… I was just a bit surprised… that's all…" she whispered quietly.

Yahiko smiled quietly and wrapped his arms around her to reciprocate the hug she was giving him, he wouldn't normally do this kind of mushy things but the episode a while ago had shocked him. He knew the others were just as shocked, but he knew just as well that Kaoru was definitely out of it. Who would have thought that Battousai would come waltzing right in the dojo and kiss her senseless right in front of them!

His hug tightened a bit, almost protectively around her. He was just a kid and knew that. He also knew that there were a lot of things that he wasn't still supposed to know, things that he still needed time to learn. He knew that Kaoru was hopelessly in love with the red-haired former hitokiri, everyone knew in fact. Everyone also knew that Kenshin is just as head over heels with their tanuki… except he doesn't even want to admit it… even to Kaoru. He even went as far as hurting her so that he couldn't get close to her… now that two personalities of the same person is loose, he was worried beyond thought of what might happen to Kaoru… she was after all his big sister… even if he didn't want to show it to her or to anyone.

Looking up, she smiled when he saw the gentle Rurouni looking worriedly down at Kaoru. He smiled and tugged on Kaoru's long raven hair.

"Oi, busu…"

Kaoru's sapphire eyes blazed as she knocked the underside of Yahiko's head. "Quit calling me busu!"

The kid only grinned evilly at her and looked at the person standing behind her. "Ei, Kenshin, whats up?"

Kaoru stiffened visibly at his words and turned slowly to face the man standing behind her. She eyed him warily before she recognized that it was the gentle Rurouni before her and not the dark, seductive Battousai. The wariness in her eyes fled as soon as she recognized who was right behind her. "Kenshin!"

The rurouni knelt down and faced her. He smiled ruefully at her bright countenance and held her hands gently within his own calloused ones. His amethyst orbs searching deep into hers. "Daijobou ka, Kaoru…?"

Kaoru blinked owlishly up at him, noticing his purposeful drop of the 'dono' to her name. **What's going to happen now?** She thought almost a bit worriedly. "Hai… daijobou."

She looked up at him and he had to curse himself when he saw the wariness return to her eyes. He smiled gently at her and removed a stray lock of hair from her face. He nodded gently, "Daijobou, Kaoru. I'll always be here for you… I'll protect you… even from him."

Kaoru could only blink at him and sighed, she smiled up at him, hiding whatever she was feeling at the moment. Kenshin on the other hand knew that there was something bothering her… and he knew exactly what it was. **Daijobou, Kaoru… I'll go slowly. I'll make you fall completely for me… gentle and slow.**

Standing up, he released her hands from his own and walked outside. He let the gentle afternoon breeze wash over him, his lips slid to a satisfied smile. "You do it your way, and I'll do it mine…" he whispered to an unseen person sitting on the tree beside him.

Amber orbs glittered in the faint afternoon sun, before a slight rustle could be heard signaling his departure.

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Kaoru blinked as she looked down at the cup in her hands. Megumi had ushered her out of her house and to the doctors place, still confused with what was happening around her, she merely sat quietly and waited until someone could explain the facts to her. Yes, it was a fact that she had been secretly craving for Kenshin's attention, and now, in a weird sort of way, she had gotten what she had craved the most.

Megumi smiled ruefully as she eyed the young shihondai, gracefully walking before her, she slid down and kneeled in front of her. "Daijobou, Kaoru-chan."

Kaoru blinked and chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah right. First this separation spell, then Battousai kisses me twice and now even the Rurouni's acting stange… and to top it all off, I don't even know how the hell I'm going to reverse that stupid spell!"

Megumi looked at her thoughtfully, "You're getting real confused aren't you, Kaoru?"

Sapphire orbs stared at her for a moment before it closed and the answer she got was merely a small nod.

**I was right.** Megumi thought before she scooted closer to Kaoru, she held the younger girls hands and started to talk to her, explain things to her. Only after two hours did she finish the lecture and the younger girl did give a reaction. A squeak, that is.

Her blue eyes were now wide as they could get, she shook her head to hide her embarrassment. "I… I now some of those things already Meguimi… except for that part about… aa… errrr…"

The fox doctor smirked as she trailed off, "I think the phrase was, pleasuring a man? Or should I say, your man?" The response she got was a bright red coloring the face of the girl before her causing her to laugh. "Daijobou, Kaoru-chan! These things are natural! Don't worry! You'll get what I mean soon enough, if I think Ken-san is going to do what I think he's planning to do to you."

The flush only heightened. "Can't believe Ken-san can go on an all out seduction phase!"

Kaoru merely flushed brighter. "You can say that again…"

The fox doctor tilted her head to look at her, "He's only human you know… a man to be precise."

She sighed. "I know… demo, its so sudden. I can't even believe that he can do what he had done to me earlier!"

"A rare sight indeed! You should have seen the Rurouni's face! It was perfect! He looked as if he would kill Battousai right there and then!"

Kaoru chuckled, "Honti ni? Now, I think I now whats with the –dono drop this afternoon."

Megumi batted her eyelashes outrageously at her, "Hmmm, if I were you tanuki, I'd keep an eye out, you've got two gorgeous guys on the prowl fro you. It looks like one is going to the gentle, wooing approach while the other one is on an all out seduction war path."

She merely laughed at that. "Then I guess you should wish me luck! Both for dealing with those two and for finding out a reverse spell for that darned incantation."

The doctor merely chuckled. "I'll do just that. I trust you can get home by yourself, or do you still need me to accompany you?" she teased

A scrunched up her nose and laughed. "I think I can make it on my own…" her laughter died when she saw a familiar figure leaning on the tree, "or not…" the smile still on her lips when she stepped out of Megumi's door. "especially if there's an overprotective former hitokiri just waiting for me outside." She whispered to her.

Megumi followed her gaze and had to stifle a laugh behind one elegant hand. "Hmmph, I thought I told Sano and Yahiko to watch over those two… anyway, take care, tanuki-chan… and good luck."

Kaoru beamed happily at her. "Arigatou for everything kitsune-san!" she answered back teasingly. Coming close to the figure leaning casually on the tree, she giggled. "How long have you been standing out here, Kenshin?"

The figure stepped out of the shadows and she had to suck in her breath. This Kenshin had his hair in a high ponytail and he was wearing a dark blue gi to complement his glittering amber eyes.

"Battousai."

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AN: Wheeeee! Minna arigatou for the reviews and thanks for pointing out a few mistakes on my story, for those who wants to know the rest of the story, you'll have to wait for the next review! Hehehe, hope you guys like this chapter and thanks! Keep on reviewing minna!

Aoi-chan


	5. the game begins

Rurouni and Battousai

Chapter 4: And the game begins.

Battousai stood and watched over her, a familiar hunger washing over him. His eyes gleamed dangerously as he watched the woman standing before him. He smiled sensuously at her.

"Hello, Kaoru-koishii… surprised?"

Kaoru couldn't help but shiver at his dark, seductive tone. She glared at him and decided to ignore his attitude. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked him yet again.

"Not long…" he tilted his head a bit, regarding her under his lashes as they moved on their trek home. She was beautiful. He had known that from the moment he had laid eyes on her, known that she would have to be his. His eyes glittered dangerously, only that damned rurouni had kept him from getting what he truly wanted. The rurouni's damned control. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists from within the cover of his gi. He had never wanted anything or anyone as much as he had wanted this sapphire-eyed beauty beside him.

Just as the two of them entered the dojo gates, he closed the door swiftly behind him and grabbed Kaoru's wrist in a firm yet gentle hold and hauled her to his lean form. She slammed gently to his body as his arms snaked their way to her waist, She gasped in surprise at his sudden move and turned her hear to yell at him, only to stop shocked at the hunger evident in his amber gaze. She gulped almost audibly and shuddered violently as he nuzzled the space connecting her neck and her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she gasped as his teeth nipped gently at her neck. His tell-tale smirk could be felt on the curve of her neck.

"You smell really good, Kaoru…" he muttered, nuzzling her neck even further, "in fact, you smell too good to eat…" he added before biting her.

She yelped a bit when she felt his sharp teeth bite into her flesh, she tried to stop him but deep inside she knew that she wanted this… "Kenshin, stop. You really shouldn't do this…" she whispered frantically, yet almost a bit breathlessly.

"Hnnn? Why shouldn't I? You seem to be enjoying yourself so much… now why should I deny the pleasure that the two of us are enjoying at this moment?" he whispered

She gasped as his hands trailed up to her chest. Grasping one wrist, she tried to stop him and turned her head to face him, she almost faltered at the deep, dark, smoldering look he was give to her at the moment. "Stop. We shouldn't be doing this… this isn't right…" she whispered in a rush

"Honto ni? Why am I not convinced?"

"Kenshin… onegai… stop…"

"Battousai."

Amber eyes lifted to meet furious amethyst orbs.

"You heard what Kaoru said. Stop."

He merely glared at the Rurouni and nuzzled Kaoru's neck yet again, "Why does he have to appear every time I make a move?" he muttered out loud which made Kaoru blush even more. "We'll finish this later, koi…" he whispered to her before he let his arms drop and disappeared in a flash.

Kaoru shuddered and turned to the rurouni. She blushed and tried to move away from him and towards the relatively safety of her room but she was stopped short by a firm hand on her wrist for the second time that afternoon.

"Kaoru…"

She sighed and faced the rurouni, face still burning with embarrassment. "Hai?"

"Daijobou… I said I'll protect you from him…"

At his words, Kaoru's blue eyes lifted to meet his in surprise, "Why would you do that?" she whispered

"Because I know him Kaoru… he is a part of me, a darker part of me."

"You didn't answer my question…why?"

"I can't answer that question… yet."

"Why? It's just a simple question?"

"It's not that simple, Kaoru… and you know it."

"Then why don't you just open up to me? Just as Battousai is revealing his true intentions." She told him before she snatched her hand away from him and moved towards her bedroom, leaving a stunned rurouni in her midst.

"Nice going Rurouni. It's just like you to ruin everything."

The Rurouni glared at the person hidden behind the shadows of the tree. "Shut up, Battousai."

Battousai chuckled, "My, my, my, someone's in a bad mood. Maybe its because he's a professional screw up?"

The Rurouni swiftly turned and held the hilt of his sakabatou. "I said shut up."

Battousai could only laugh even more as left the tree he was currently occupying and left the rurouni still seething.

"Damn it. Damn it!" He growled out loud as he dropped his own hands from the hilt of his sword. Battousai had done it again… and what does Kaoru mean by revealing his true intentions. Does she want what Battousai was doing to her? His eyes widened in surprise, his mind running back to the incident earlier in the dojo. Kaoru haven't uttered her protest out loud, in fact, she looked as if she had indeed enjoyed the searing kiss Battousai gave her, that and just a while ago. Had she really disliked the attention his darker half was giving her, he was sure that she would object with her very own unique way. He looked towards the direction of her room and thought carefully.

Just as Battousai is revealing his true intentions… 

He smiled slowly. She really didn't know what she was asking…

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Kaoru sat down and combed her hair until it fell into rich raven waves behind her back. She had already changed into an evening yukata. Gazing into the mirror, she frowned at her reflection.

"Do you really know what you're asking for, tanuki?" she asked her self in the mirror.

"You have been asking this for so long, and now that you have it, can you really handle this?" The girl in the mirror glared at her. "Well? What's wrong with you! Now that you have the attention you've been seeking, why are you pulling back!"

"Because, he's not acting like himself…"

"Idiot. Don't you realize that he's acting the way he really should be acting! That's the real him, Kaoru… that's the real him…"

Sapphire orbs softened as she gazed at herself. The real him…She smiled and placed the brush down. Yes… this was the real Kenshin… no longer bound by the restraints of the rurouni, Battousai is giving her a glimpse of what truly lie beneath those smiles and oroing and de gozaruing.

This time, she let a real smile make its way to her lips. Things are indeed bound to be a bit crazy in the next few days until she found a way to reverse that damned spell… crazy but definitely interesting. Megumi was right, she would definitely need luck to control the attention given by the two former hitokiri.

A hell lot of it.

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The next day, Kaoru woke up to a pair of glittering amber orbs. She blinked twice before she nearly screamed in shock. Bolting up from her bed upright, she automatically flung her pillow in his face. Just before she screamed at him, Battousai moved and covered her mouth with his. Having avoided collision contact with her pillow, he used his god-like speed to mold his lips to her own soft ones, enjoying the feel of her soft outraged gasp on his lips. The moment she gasped, he had seized his moment to claim her lips inner recesses. He didn't release her until he had felt her submit to his will, his arms tightening around her in possessive want.

Kaoru moaned deep in her throat as she felt his tongue snake in to play with hers, twice, twice had she been kissed this thoroughly by Battousai… twice in a span of only two days. Her arms reached up to twine around his neck, ignoring his smug approval. Her anger dissipating with finding him looming over her head as she woke up, only to be replaced of hunger. Real hunger. She shivered involuntarily, **I know I've felt somewhat like this before, but this definitely over the limit.** she thought dazedly. He released her just as she was getting dizzy with the lack of air, her eyes opened languorously and he couldn't help but smirk at her contented reaction.

"Ohayou, Kaoru-chan… I trust that you've had a nice sleep?"

Kaoru blinked before his words registered in her mind. Really, for these past two days, it seems that she's gone to la-la land. She blushed furiously and grabbed the covers from beneath her and covered herself. A faint "Kenshin no baka" can be heard from beneath the covers. He chuckled and grabbed the edge of the covers and yanked it of off her.

Kaoru yelped when he forcefully yanked the covers away from her, and pinned her body on the futon with his own lean frame covering her. His glittering amber orbs shining with mischief. "I see that you're in a mood to play this morning…"

Sapphire gems glittered in anger before it matched the mischief in his eyes. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she played with the stands of his hair at the base of his neck, making him purr unconsciously with pleasure. **Two can play this game, Battousai… I've learned a lot from our dear kitsune…** running her hand along the length of his back she grinned deep within her head as she felt Battousai arch his back **Hmmmm… so he _is_ sensitive in this area… **she grinned evilly before she tentatively licked the side of his face and felt him shudder in response. **Here we go… one, two… three! **

Kaoru bucked up from him and in his surprise, he landed completely under her. She was grinning evilly at him and stuck her tongue out at him before she haughtily stood up and gracefully strode towards the door and ran outside when she heard the rustle of sheets signaling his movement. Laughing out loud, she shrieked when she felt his hands slide on the hem of her yukata. Darting out of her room, she rushed towards the kitchen and saw a familiar shade of red walking casually ahead of her. She grabbed the Rurouni's shoulders before she skidded to a halt. She grinned at the startled Rurouni before her eyes caught sight of Battousai standing just a few feet away.

"Kenshin… do me a favor?" she asked him sweetly, almost too sweetly for Kenshin's thought, he eyed her warily. "What is it, Kaoru?"

"Oh... nothing… just this…" she told him before she molded her lips to his, shocking the poor Rurouni. In shock, he was thrown out of balance and had to latch on to Kaoru's waist for support. Half shocked at Kaoru's bold actions, half pleased that he had now tasted her.

As she released him, she touched his lips with one finger. "Arigatou, Rurouni…" she whispered seductively before she rounded the corner to the bathhouse. Just as the Rurouni recovered from his initial shock. Kaoru popped her head back to look at him.

"Oh, and by the way, would you mind getting me my towel and a new yukata in my room?"

The Rurouni stared at where her head had just popped a moment ago and shook his head ruefully. **What had gotten into her?** He thought dazedly, only when he turned and found the smirking Rurouni did he realize what that incident had been all about.

Battousai stood shell shocked at Kaoru's actions. "And I thought I was supposed to be the hunter here?" he whispered almost too dejectedly.

The Rurouni shook his head. "I don't think its wrong for me to say that, you've created a demoness."

Battousai shook his head as well, "Well, that make things more fun, ne?"

Both men's eyes glimmered with eagerness at the new twist of their game. They had first competed for a certain tanuki's affection and love, now, things are bound to get more interesting with the tanuki's participation of their game.

Really interesting.

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AN: whoeee! Hope you guys like this new chappie! And hope for more reviewsss! Ja ne!

Aoi-chan


	6. the next step

Rurouni and Battousai

Chapter 5: The next step

Kaoru tried to hide the mischief in her eyes as she eyed the rurouni who was currently preparing their lunch. It had been a week since the separation fiasco and she was already elbow deep in studying the old texts her mother left behind for her to learn about the magical scriptures of the past. She had still found no way of returning the rurouni and battousai back to normal but things had been pretty exciting for all the occupants of the dojo. Exciting especially if you want to know who's gonna win their little cat and mouse game… trio style. Sano had made it plain that he wanted to stay and watch, so did Yahiko… the only person who made it just as plain that they didn't want any interruptions was Battousai himself. Kaoru hid the grin that made its way to her face by lowering her face in the book in her hands.

It was also a whole full week where she dared to do what she had never expected to ever in her life, namely, seducing two men… two former hitokiri's. Granted that they're only one and the same, the problem is, they're still in two separate bodies and two very different personalities. She shivered slightly, Battousai's movements have been more daring, while the Rurouni's actions have been more audacious than before. She bit her lip, not that she wasn't in the same position as the two of them, she was even worse. She shook her head ruefully, yep… just what would her mother think if she ever saw her daughter act the way she was acting at the moment with these two. She gasped when warm arms wrapped themselves around her trim waist. Turning her head to the side, she gasped when Battousai took her lips in a deep sensual kiss.

"Something wrong, koi?" he whispered darkly at her.

The Rurouni turned from his work and grinned chidingly at them. "Maa… Battousai, I think Kaoru has yet to eat, ne? And I won't be able to finish cooking without the tofu. Now would you mind going out to buy that tofu?"

Battousai merely glared at him before he disappeared to do exactly as he was told. Kaoru blinked and chuckled when she realized that Battousai indeed had followed what the rurouni had told him to do.

"I'll be…" she chuckled, "he just did what you just told him to do…"

The Rurouni laughed, "Well, I believe that he, just as I do, doesn't want our beautiful koibito to starve…" he told her as he flipped a finger to her nose.

Kaoru laughed. She had never been so happy in her entire life… granted that none of them had really told each other what truly lies in their hearts but the attention and the playful affection they were showing to one another was enough… even for just a little while… it was enough for her.

She chuckled and looked at the book in her hands, she had now began understanding what it really means to be a miko, began learning the spells, and began learning what it truly means to be a Kamiya.

Rurouni leaned in and took her mouth in a sweet gentle kiss, Kaoru had to smile deep within her head, Battousai's approach was the aggressive approach while the Rurouni chose the gentle approach… it was soo, sweet… and it definitely defined the difference between the two men. Just as the Rurouni released her, Kaoru dropped the book she was holding and grabbed his head, deepening the kiss.

The Rurouni, a bit shocked at her reaction, had to smile and indulged himself in deepening the kiss, Kaoru's playfulness had shocked him, but it had also pleased him that she was willing to join in their game, for a week now, Battousai and him have been on the war path to seduce this beautiful kenjutsu shihondai… although the seduction plan was going quite easy especially with Kaoru's participation. Desire hummed in his blood, he wanted her, he wanted her so much that it hurt. Just before he could take things further, he sensed the presence of Sano and Yahiko coming inside the dojo. He groaned and lifted his head from hers, panting a bit. He managed to disentangle himself from her arms before the latter stepped in the kitchen.

"Oi! Kenshin! What's for lunch? I'm hungry!" Sano called out to him

"Yeah! Me too! Isn't lunch ready yet?" Yahiko echoed Sano's call as the two conveniently flopped themselves on the table. Kaoru merely glared at the two for ruining her beautiful moment with the Rurouni… **typical jerks…** she thought sullenly as she glared the two still complaining about the lateness of lunch being served.

"Just what the heck are you two doing here again? Sano? Mooching for lunch, I suppose? And Yahiko," she said as she turned to eye the kid directly, "I thought that you were supposed be at the Akkabeko to help out Tae and Tsubame!"

"Awww. Jou-chan, don't ya miss us? Besides, aren't you tired of just seeing Kenshin here?" he asked her, but his eyes shone of mischief.

Kaoru glared at him and before she could summon a retort, Yahiko cut in, "Hmph, I'm sure she going out of her mind with these two here… I'm sure she's not even allowed to go out or train!" he howled out loud

Kaoru's face turned red at his words, red with anger, just before she could hit Yahiko on the head, she could only gape at him when the self proclaimed Tokyo-samurai's head was pushed forward forcefully with a strong knock on the head courtesy of Battousai himself. She grinned from ear to ear at his actions, even Sano had to gape stunned at what Battousai did.

Yahiko rubbed his head gingerly. "Hey! What the heck was that for!" he howled out loud

"That was for not respecting your sensei." Came the low answer

Yahiko could only gape and turned his head to look at the Rurouni, the only response he got from the Rurouni was a small shrug. He looked at both Kaoru and Battousai, who was now sitting by her side and looked down on his lap, still holding his head gingerly. Sano could only grin, **poor kid…** he looked at the pair sitting side by side and knew that there was no way that Yahiko was going to get away with his rude remarks with Battousai around.

He chewed his fish bone and gazed at Kaoru thoughtfully. "So, jou-chan…" he drawled casually. "Have you found a way to reverse that spell?"

Kaoru looked at him and flushed slightly pink and shook her head. "Iie… gomen… I'm already elbow deep in studying these scriptures but I'm not yet close in finding the reverse spell… I never knew that it was this hard…" she answered truthfully.

The Rurouni placed the utensils on the table before them, "Maa… I think Kaoru has been trying her best to find the reverse spell, ne?"

Battousai could only give a loop sided grin, "And besides, we're not in a hurry to get back together…things are more interesting this way…" he told them almost a bit lazily.

Kaoru flushed brick red and glared at Battousai while Sano could only choke at his tea and started laughing out loud, with Yahiko gaping at the amber eyed Kenshin. The Rurouni on the other hand could only shake his head contritely. "Maa… let's forget this for a while and concentrate on food shall we?" he told them cheerfully as he raised his own chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!"

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Kaoru combed her hair and let it cascade down her back in rich dark waves. She looked at the notebook before her and sighed. "What on earth were you thinking okaasan, when you created this spell?" She gasped when the comb in her hands disappeared only to be replaced by warm hands. She stilled and tried to distinguish who was combing her hair with such gentleness, it wasn't until he gently nuzzled her neck that she realized just who exactly was right behind her.

"You know you really should drop that habit of sneaking up on people…Battousai."

A husky laughter greeted her ears as lean arms wrapped around her waist as he lowered his head on her shoulders. "Hnnn, old habits are hard to die…" he whispered as one of his hands wandered over her body.

Kaoru gasped and turned to face him, her eyes filled with different emotions that she could not voice out loud. Uncertainty, trust, desire. Battousai leaned his head towards hers, "I won't do anything you don't want me to do…" he whispered huskily before he captured her lips in a hungry kiss, ignoring her sharp intake of breath of shock.

She tried to move her head away, only to have him clasp his hands firmly on her nape to prevent her from escaping him. After a few moments, his arms tightened around her in satisfaction when he felt her give in to his ministrations. He slid his arms from her back to the front of her yukata, and slid his hands to the warmth inside. Kaoru gasped and wrenched her head from his, her eyes wide with apprehension.

"Do you trust me, Kaoru?" he asked her, his eyes gleaming with barely concealed desire.

Kaoru shivered uncontrollably, she knew that this was going to far, but a part of her wanted this, wanted this from the moment she had laid her eyes on him. But is this what she really wanted? One look in his amber orbs and she knew her answer.

"Yes."

With her answer, Battousai reached for her in a fierce embrace and kissed her with all the hunger that had been kept in check for the past year. Kaoru shuddered and answered his hunger with her own fierce wanting. As they both tumbled down on her futon, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck and watched his fierce features watch her every movement.

"What ever happens… I trust you…" she whispered as she let one finger trace his lips.

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Kaoru blinked drowsily at the ceiling and smiled happily. **It has already been a year… but damn… it was worth the wait…** she thought as she looked at the slumbering hitokiri beside her. His arms wrapped around her waist in a protective manner. Without the Rurouni controlling him, he didn't waste much time in making his motives known to her… speaking of the Rurouni, Kaoru bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. **oh, dear… what would the rurouni think… wait scratch that.. what would he say?** Despite her efforts from trying not to laugh, she couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

Battousai had awakened with the slight movement of her head, but kept his eyes closed and tried to figure out what she was doing but at the sound of her soft giggle, he couldn't help but open his eyes and regard her with overly curious eyes.

Kaoru blushed when she saw Battousai's amber eyes regarding her curiously. She burrowed her head in his shoulders and let loose a peal of giggles.

"Kaoru?" he asked her worriedly

As her giggles subsided, she laid her head on his chest and murmured, "I wonder what the Rurouni would say once her knows what had happened here tonight…"

A grin made its way to his lips as he heard her response. "Hnnn… more likely, it would be fun to watch what his reaction would be…" he murmured gently as his hands idly stroked her hair.

He looked down and watched Kaoru and had to chuckle lightly when he saw that she was already fast asleep. Leaning back comfortably on the futon below him he smiled in satisfaction and followed her in a deep slumber.

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AN: Sorry if took me this long to update… had a hard time juggling with my schedule especially with my finals coming up around the corner! Anyways, you no there aren't any lemons scenes here so you can just go to my yahoo groups if you want to read the full version… a advanced warning, the full lemon version may take a bit longer to be finished… anyways, ja ne! hope to hear more revies!

Aoi-chan


	7. truths

Rurouni and Battousai

Chapter 6: Truths

A knock on her door woke her up, blinking groggily awake, Kaoru turned her head towards the door and groaned, she was about to yell at the person on the other side of the door to wait when she felt a something wrapped around her waist. She looked at it for a while before she snapped fully awake when she heard the person on the other side of the door speak.

"Kaoru-dono, breakfast is ready, you should wake up de gozaru, or Yahiko will finish it all up." Came the rurouni's voice.

Kaoru nearly bolted up right when the arm around her waist tightened, bringing her back on the soft futon with an 'oomph'. Battousai smirked at the panicked expression on the woman beside him, he raised his head a bit to answer the rurouni's call when a small hand clamped his mouth shut.

"I'll be there in a minute, Kenshin!" she called out, almost too cheerfully while she glared at the red haired assassin who merely raised a brow at her. She held her breath until she heard the rurouni's footsteps move away from her door. After that did she only release her hand from Battousai's mouth, glaring at him all the while.

"What the heck do think you're doing!" she hissed at him, her eyes shooting off blue sparks.

Battousai merely stretched like a cat beside her and regarded her with gleaming amber eyes. "What's what? I was merely about to tell him that we'll be there in a minute."

Her eyes blazed even more. "Nani! Are you crazy! Then he'll know that you're here the entire evening! What will he think!" she growled at him before she stopped, "wait, again, scratch that, what will he say!" she added after a while

He merely looked at her smugly before he grabbed his gi and hakama that had been tossed aside carelessly the night before and started to dress. "So? He's bound to find out sooner or later…" he drawled out casually.

She stopped in mid-motion with the tying of her obi when she felt his arms wrap around her, nuzzling her neck. "I wouldn't worry about it, Kaoru, everything will turn out alright…"

She looked at him suspiciously, "Define 'alright'?"

Amber orbs gleamed mischievously at her. "Trust me…" was all that he told her before he released his hold on her and quietly made his way out of her room.

She glared at the slightly open shoji and muttered under her breath, "Yeah, alright… speak for yourself. You're not the one who's handling one man with two different personalities."

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The Rurouni eyed Battousai as the latter sat on his place around the dinning table with something akin to smug amusement. _Something was definitely out of place here_. He thought, and his suspicions rose even more when Kaoru entered the room. A slight flush colored her expressive face when she looked at Battousai, and his eyes narrowed at the reason for that slight coloring of her cheeks. He had seen the way Battousai looked at Kaoru, even fleeting as it was, he had caught it. It was a look filled with barely controlled hunger, a look he knew only all too well for he had have that same look every time he knew Kaoru wasn't looking.

Breakfast had gone peacefully enough, but with every moment that had passed, his suspicions only grew even more. As the rest of the occupants left the kitchen and he was left to finish cleaning the place, he stopped short when he realized one thing…his other half had not entered his room last night. The chopsticks in his hand broke with barely concealed fury. _He had better not have touched her or else I wouldn't be responsible for my actions._ came the dark thought as he hurriedly finished with his chores. Just as he had finished drying the dishes, he heard Yahiko yell out to Kaoru that he was going to spend the rest of the week at the Akkabeko because Tae needed help at the restaurant.

The rurouni stepped out of the kitchen just as Yahiko sped past him. A startled oro was all that can be heard from the rurouni before he fell flat on his face.

_Oro oro…. Sessha definitely has to watch out for anything whizzing by him… these things are actually starting to hurt_. He thought before he slowly lifted himself up, still swirly eyed, he had managed to upright himself in a sitting position before gentle hands held his face.

"Mou, Kenshin… I can't believe you let Yahiko mow you over just like that? What had happened to your legendary god-like speed?" she berated him as she gently wiped his face free from the dirt. The swirls in his eyes disappeared before he chuckled embarrassedly at the woman before him, a hand scratching the back of his head accompanied the embarrassed laughter.

Kaoru looked at him and shook her head ruefully, "Then again, I think it all went to Battousai after the two of you got completely separated." She mumbled under her breath unknown to her that the man before her had heard every single word. Tapping his head as she rose, Kaoru held her hand out to him. The rurouni ground his teeth soundlessly as he heard her mumbled comment but took the hand offered to him as she helped him stand up.

"I'm going to the market today, Kenshin. I'll be back later this afternoon."

The Rurouni stared at her retreating form just as he saw the glittering amber orbs observing them from a tree ahead of them. "If Kaoru-dono won't mind, sessha would like to accompany you to town."

Kaoru blinked at him before her lips parted to a wide grin. "I'll be ready in a second!" she called out to him as she raced towards her room to change.

The Rurouni smiled at her retreating form before his gaze settled coldly on the tree before him. "Where were you last night, Battousai?"

His other half emerged from the branches of the tree and jumped gracefully before him, "None of your business."

The rurouni's normally gentle violet eyes shone with an unknown fury. "It will be my business if you had laid one single hand on Kaoru." He growled out.

Battousai's brows rose a bit, "Is that a threat, Rurouni?" came the soft response

"If the shoe fits, the by all means, wear it!" came the answer, this time it was just as soft as the Battousai's response.

The amber eyes assassin merely smirked at him. "What if I told you that you're already too late with your pathetic threats?" he crooned silkily at the other man.

The Rurouni stood there for a while, almost paralyzed with Battousai's words before his control snapped and his hands went to his sakabatou, but just before he could grasp the hilt of his sword, Kaoru called out cheerfully from her room. His hand dropped to his sides as Kaoru emerged on the porch and stood by him, she looked at both him and Battousai before she tilted her head in question.

"Is there anything wrong?" she asked them both, "You two seem quiet… as if some thing's going to happen..." she whispered as her hand unconsciously grasped the Rurouni's sleeve.

The rurouni merely smiled at her and shook his head, "Daijobou, Kaoru… everything's alright." He told her before lacing his hand with hers, startling the young kenjutsu shihondai, her eyes darted from one to the other before she settled comfortably in step beside him as they made their way outside.

Battousai couldn't help but smile coldly at the Rurouni's back. _He had almost broken that damned idiots control if only Kaoru hadn't arrived just in time,_ he thought darkly but couldn't help smirk. _They wouldn't mind if he tagged along now would they… especially if he stays out of sight_. He thought before disappearing to catch up with the other two.

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Kaoru watched the rurouni from beneath her bangs and knew that there was something wrong. He had been unusually quiet ever since they had left the dojo, just as she stood beside the Rurouni, she had felt the huge amount of tension emanating from the two swordsmen and shook her head. Two men of the same body only with different personalities could have so much trouble with one another. She shook her head again, this time, capturing the attention of the man beside her.

"Daijobou ka, Kaoru?" he asked her gently, and softly, too softly for Kaoru's peace of mind. She looked up at his amethyst eyes and frowned, grabbing his hand, she pulled him along with her back to the dojo to get some answers.

Just as she pushed the gates shut, Kaoru looked around and noticed that Battousai was not inside, stomping past him, she spun around and glared at him just as she reached the middle of the yard.

"Alright, out with it!" she growled out loud. "What the hell's wrong with you!"

The rurouni hadn't expected this reaction from her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… you've been stone cold quiet ever since we left the dojo a while ago, it's already grating on my nerves!" she yelled at him

The Rurouni merely looked at her and made his way to the porch where he sat down and looked at her, as in really looked at her.

Kaoru blushed a bit with the look he was giving her but refused to back down from the subject. "Out with it," she spat out, "I know something's bothering you! And I want it out now!"

"Was Battousai with you last night?" came the blunt question

Kaoru stood stock still with shock as his words sunk in. She could feel her face heating up, "What… what gave you that idea?" she asked him softly

He merely shrugged but refused to take his eyes off of her, even as she slowly moved towards him, settling on the wooden floorboards.

Kaoru looked at the yard ahead of them and sighed mentally. _So, that's what happened between those two earlier, battousai no baka._ she thought, looking at her companion, "Why do you want to know?"

The Rurouni gritted his teeth, _So it seems that Battousai had indeed won this little cat and mouse game of theirs_. He thought darkly, _So, what happens to me now?_ He gritted his teeth and stood up, hands clenching into fists. "Why did you let him take you?" he managed to ask her through clenched teeth

"Because I love him…" came the soft answer and he felt as if the ground had disappeared from below his feet. She loved him… loved battousai… not him… he could barely feel the wind around him, he had lost…

"Just as I love you…"

His head snapped back up and he turned around so fast that his hair had whipped through the wind, he stared at her disbelievingly, "What…"

Kaoru shook her head and smiled sadly up at him. She stood up and held his face in her hands. "I thought I could go along with this little game for a little while longer but I guess I couldn't help myself." She traced the cross scar on his left cheek, "You idiot. What did you think? That I couldn't love one without loving the other? Kenshin look at me, I'll repeat myself alright, I don't care about our past, I only care about you… both you and Battousai. The two of you have been through too much, the only thing I want is for the two of you to be happy… it's the least I can do…"

The rurouni wrapped his arms around her and buried his face on the crook of her neck, his breath shuddering and he hugged her close. He then lifted his head and looked at her misting sapphire orbs and smiled before claiming her lips in a soft gentle kiss. Lifting her lithe form, he carried her then to his room and shut the door tight.

From roof of the dojo, Battousai smiled and felt something slide on his check, startled, he wiped the wetness from his face and stared at it in surprise and realized that the wetness on his face came from him. Teardrops. He hadn't shed tears since he had accidentally killed Tomoe. He stared at the wetness in his fingers and realized that the tears that fell from his eyes were those of happiness and not that of sorrow. He had heard everything Kaoru told the Rurouni from his perch up on the roof, he could never have thought that Kaoru's feelings ran that deep. That she would want nothing more than to give him happiness… no one had ever done that for him. Not even Tomoe.

He laid down on the roof and looked at the sky, closing his eyes, he uttered a silent prayer to Kami for bringing him this wonderful gift of happiness… a gift in the form of a raven haired kenjutsu shihondai who could not cook to save her life and who could punch with much force that it rivaled even the combination of his shishou, Shishio, Saitou, Aoshi and even Enishi and Sano.

Happiness… now he truly knew what that meant. His time for redemption has passed, it was time for him to face his own future and happiness… he owed himself just as much as well as Kaoru.

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AN: whaaaaa! At lat Chapter 6 is out! Sorry if took me this long to finish this, I've been doing a lot on school… again sorry! And I really want to thank all of those who reviewed, my huge thankie, thankie, thankies! Anyweis, about that part where I let battousai have Kaoru first… well… it's the only way I can think of battousai… straight to point and aggressive. Get what I mean? Hehehe, If not, just keep reading and I hope I'll be able to explain it on the next chapters. Ja ne! revies please!

Aoi-chan


	8. revelations

Rurouni and Battousai

Chapter 7: Revelations

"Ohayou… Kaoru-koishii…"

Kaoru opened her eyes still drowsy from sleep only to be met with glittering amber orbs along with a handsome face grinning down at her devilishly in amusement. She blinked owlishly before she bolted straight up.

"Battousai!"

Glaring at him as he chuckled out loud, she clutched the blankets to her chest and prepared to launch a pillow to his face when she saw the rurouni lounging by her door, smiling lovingly down at her. A blush came to her cheeks and she buried her face deeper beneath her blankets as the rurouni relinquished his position at the doorway only to come close to her and kiss her lightly on the lips.

"Ohayou, koishii… time to get up… breakfast's ready." He whispered in her ear.

Not trusting her voice, Kaoru could only nod and look at the two with wide unblinking eyes. One of her hands curled to a fist as Battousai nuzzled her neck in greeting, pouting playfully at her yet his eyes belying the mischief glimmering within its orbs.

"You didn't greet us back…"

Kaoru raised her eyes to the ceiling and mumbled her response to him. Battousai grinned from her shoulder and lifted his head. Kissing her deeply before he stood up and left her alone in her room. Blinking again, she could only shake her head in resignation. Looking across her room, her gaze fell to the worn out notebook and smiled ruefully. She had better finish conjuring that reverse spell before those two could come up with any other games within their sleeves… she thought contritely, not that she was complaining. Things have been kept quiet around here because only Sano, Yahiko and Megumi knows, since Dr. Genzai and the kids were with his sister, no one else knew the bizarre happenings here at the dojo.

Finishing cleaning up her room, Kaoru then proceeded with changing her clothes, her face marred with a slight frown. If that darned Mibu wolf got a wind with the situation around here, it can be assured that he would want to fight Battousai, and there was no way in hell that she was going to allow that. She thought darkly, and as she stepped out of her room she stretched her arms above her head and looked at the clear blue sky,

_Arigatou, okaasan…if you had any idea of what was to happen to me today, thank you for this wonderful blessing_. She thought happily before she went to the kitchen and eat breakfast.

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Battousai sat quietly on the porch as Kaoru trained on the yard, the rurouni had gone out earlier to buy tofu for their lunch a while ago. He watched through lowered lids as she went through her usual routine, her movements, fluid and precise. Every move reminded him of a bamboo tree, graceful as it danced with the wind, yet containing a strength with in its core.

He had always admired women who could move quietly and gracefully, gentle creatures, but with one look at Kaoru, he had felt the untapped fire within her. She wasn't like any other women, quiet and demure… no, she was different. She exhibited a fire that only few could match, a spirit that spoke of courage, strength and determination yet at the same time, it was tampered by a heart that shone with innocence and love.

Love.

Had anyone truly loved him? Had anyone truly cared for him? His mind drifted back to his childhood. Yes, his parents had loved him, and after they died, the three sisters that took her in loved and cared for him, yet after that… had anyone loved or even cared for him? Looking back on his life, he realized that no one had once mentioned that they even cared for him. His Shishou only taught him, to Katsura and the others, he was only a tool to bring forth an end to the revolution. Tomoe, had she loved him? He shook his head, no. She couldn't love him, she may have cared enough for him, but her heart belonged to only one man… and that man was her finacee, Akira.

Looking across the yard, his amber eyes settled on the girl practicing her katas diligently. She was the only person who had not ran in fear from him after learning that he was the most feared assassin in all of Japan, in fact she had surprised him when she took him in. She gave him a family… gave him a home… hope.

He stiffened immediately as he felt another presence with them. He stood spoke out loud to the unseen person…

"What do you want, Hajime?"

Kaoru stilled and stared as Saitou stepped from the shadows and smirked at them. "Well, well, well… I had been wondering if the news were true… looks like it was." He lifted a hand and smoked his cigarette. "I wonder what made you snap from that stupid Rurouni act." He drawled out, along with a puff of smoke and grinned maliciously as Battousai stood up and merely glared at him.

"What do you want, Hajime?" he asked him quietly, his voice tinged with venom.

Saitou smirked and flicked the stub of his cigar to the ground and unsheathed his sword. "I was wondering if we could finish that battle we had."

Battousai smirked and went down the porch, his hand gripping his sakabatou and faced him.

Kaoru's eyes widened in panic. She dropped her bokken and raced to Battousai.

"Please… don't… I'm begging you… don't do this, Kenshin." She begged him, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she gripped the sleeves of his gi.

Battousai looked down at her worried and panicked face, his hand reached up to brush gently on her cheek. "Daijobou. It'll be rude of me if I turned his offer down, besides, we've postponed this fight long enough."

Kaoru's eyes widened even more, panic laced through her. She gripped his hands tightly and glared at him darkly. Battousai's amber eyes widened in surprise at the dark anger in her… there was enough common sense in him to know when to back down. Knowing her well enough, Battousai decided to step back and watched the fireworks ignite as Kaoru turned to face Saitou.

"Alright, Hajime Saitou, why don't you take that sword of yours and get the hell out of here before I turn you into… I turn you into a squiggly little worm!" she yelled at him, her sapphire eyes shooting sparks.

Saitou merely looked at her and merely cocked a brow at her. Rage flowed through Kaoru's veins as she eyed the Mibu wolf, she raised a hand forward and concentrated hard until a light blue orb generated into her hands. Both Battousai and Saitou stared at her as the orb in her hand began to flare even more.

"One more chance to get the hell out of here, Saitou… you really don't want to piss me off." She whispered

Saitou merely nodded and re-sheathed his sword. "Really can't have any fun when you're around… 'till next time Battousai." He turned around and stood still and turned back to the two behind him.

"Correct me if I'm mistaken, but… there are two Himura's here, isn't there?"

The blue fire along with the anger in her disappeared almost just as quickly as it had arrived. She clasped her hands to her mouth to stifle she faint shriek while Battousai shook his head in disbelief, talk about great timing.

The Rurouni stood holding a bucket of tofu looked at the people inside the yard and groaned out loud as he eyed Saitou. "I think it's better if you left now, Saitou."

Saitou looked at the three and merely shook his head, he smirked at both the rurouni and battousai before he left. All three then looked at each other before they burst out laughing.

Kaoru wiped the tears in her eyes before she flopped down on the grass, still chuckling at the memory of Saitou's surprised face. The Rurouni shook his head as he came near the duo laughing.

"I think I don't want to know what had just happened a while ago." He muttered.

Battousai smiled as he looked at the rurouni and Kaoru who sat on the ground giggling uncontrollably. His brow rose up speculatively, "Mind telling us what that incident awhile ago?"

Kaoru looked up at him and beamed. "My mother was priestess, remember? Skill are passed down to me, although some of the skills needs some patching up, I think I can do a bit more spells here and there…" she murmured at that, the two could only laugh at her response.

"So, what's for lunch?"

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Later that evening, Kaoru stretched her arms and rotated them as she sat down on her futon. Her shoji opened and closed silently, she tilted her to the side when she felt sword-calloused hands gently massage her back.

"Daijobou?"

She purred contentedly in his arms, "Hai, Kenshin…" her legs straightened from beneath her as she leaned her weight more into his body. The Rurouni's amethyst orbs glinted with barely concealed desire.

"You know, Battousai and I reached a compromise…" he whispered in her ear as his hands strayed to her body, slowly baring her body.

She arched her back, "A compromise?"

"Hai... a compromise…" came Battousai's dark seductive voice.

Kaoru bolted straight up and stared at Battousai who sat comfortably beside her outstretched limbs, his hands roving possessively over the flesh revealed. She turned to stare from one to the other.

"Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking…" she whispered a bit breathlessly.

The only answer she got was a deep seductive smile from both men before the rurouni took her mouth in a sensual deep kiss.

The next day, Kaoru lay in the middle of two red heads, "Then again, I think I've changed my mind in finding a way to reverse that spell…"

Battousai and the Rurouni could only chuckle at her words…

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AN: Sorry if it took me this long to update! I'm really sorry! Reason, still, school. Anyways, I want to thank everyone who reviewed and I promise I'll try my best to update as soon as I can. I'm still trying to work on the lemon versions of this story, hopefully, I can finish it ASAP. (I hope…) Again, hope that you guys will continue reviewing!

Aoi-chan


	9. spell reversed

Rurouni and Battousai

Chapter 8: Spell reversed

"Are you sure about this, Jou-chan?"

Kaoru glowered at the rooster head sitting behind her along with Megumi and Yahiko, turning to face the two men before her, she breathed deeply and closed her eyes. Concentrating on the task before her. A month had already passed since these two became separated, a month filled with revelations for Kaoru and Kenshin and a month full long of unexpected sensual tormentation from the two.

**I hope this works…** Kaoru thought worriedly as she summoned the reverse incantation. **Only one month to undo what my mother had not been able to do within all her life as a priestess… I do really hope this works, okaasan, wherever you are, I hope you're right here with me at this moment… because I can't blunder this one up…**

A bright light engulfed Kaoru as she went into the middle of her spell, her sapphire eyes glowing eerily blue as she lifted her hands towards the two men standing before her. Yahiko, Sano and Megumi all were forced to cover their eyes as the light surrounding Kaoru became too much for their eyes to handle. Meanwhile, both the Rurouni and Battousai stood motionlessly as Kaoru worked, both looked at each other and knew that whatever happens, they knew that they could count on their little tanuki to work things out. They trust her that much.

The Rurouni was the first to feel the effects of the spell, he could feel his heart start to pound uncontrollably. His eyes became unfocused as memories of the past month flooded though his mind, memories on Battousai's point of view. Battousai on the other hand had noticed the Rurouni stand still and look somewhat dazed, before he could ask the rurouni what was the matter, a strong force hit him, almost as if someone had punched him. Gazing at the woman glowing before them, his vision was replaced with that of memories, this time, on the Rurouni's point of view.

Kaoru lifted her hand up in her air as the force of the spell carried her lithe body from the ground, she could feel her energy draining from her body but she knew she had to finish this. Sweat fell on her face as she moved her hands before her, directly before the two red heads. Summoning up all her energy and strength, Kaoru forced her body through sheer force of will and determination to finish the spell…

"Light and dark

separated into two,

Let two souls unite

As once had been,

To create a whole

As it was before

Let two souls become as one

To fulfill the balance of his heart

So mote it be!"

AS Kaoru finished the last line of the spell, the light that had engulfed her covered both the Rurouni and the Battousai. Still floating up on air, Kaoru was thrown forcefully backwards by the strong energy that had surrounded her, knocking her unconscious on the walls of the dojo. Yahiko and the rest ran immediately to her side, Megumi checking if she had sustained any injuries. As Megumi and Yahiko looked at Kaoru, Sano turned from looking at Kaoru's prone form to the middle of the yard where the bright light had faded only to be replaced by a thick smoke. As the smoke faded, it slowly revealed the form of only one man. Sano grinned from ear to ear as her looked at the person standing at the middle of the yard.

"Well I'll be damned… looks like jou-chan pulled it off…" he muttered in awe. Both Megumi and Yahiko looked at him and turned to see Kenshin standing at the middle of the yard. He was still looking at his hands as if he was checking if anything was missing. As he looked up, Megumi gasped at the color of his eyes, it was no longer the shade of glittering amber, or the soft gentle amethyst. Kenshin's eyes were now the color of both. Amber clashing with amethyst.

He tilted his head a bit as he eyed them until his eyes focused on Kaoru's unconscious form. He dashed forward until he had her soft body in her arms. He looked worriedly at her then to his friends.

"What happened?" he whispered

"She got thrown backwards by something and she fainted at impact." Megumi answered him, "Anou, Ken-san… daijobou?"

Kenshin looked at Megumi, then to both Yahiko and Sano who was peering at him curiously. He smiled and nodded. "Hai. Daijobou… it looks like Kaoru's reverse spell worked."

Yahiko and Sano exchanged triumphant grins and whooped out loud.

"Whoooeeeee! Now that's our tanuki!" Sano yelled out loud

Kenshin slowly shook Kaoru's limp form, worried that doing the spell might have harmed her than him in the process.

"Kaoru… kaoru, wake up…" his gentle shakes seemed to have no effect on the girl. But just when he was about to give in to panic, Kaoru moaned and opened her eyes gingerly. She grinned ruefully up at him.

"It worked?" she whispered as she struggled to get up

Kenshin smiled endearingly down at her as he cradled her face in his hands. "Hai, koishii… it did… that it did…"

Kaoru smiled and sighed in relief… "Thank the gods…" she smiled weakly up at her friends who were grinning happily by their side. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a shadow form from behind her friends backs. She gasped as the shadow took on to the form of her mother. Leaning back at Kenshin, she blinked owlishly at the form of her mother.

At her surprised glance, the rest turned to look exactly what had gotten her attention. Their eyes widened when they saw exactly what had captured her attention. A gentle breeze wafted around them, it ruffled the spirit's clothes gently moved with the wind. With long dark raven hair, and gentle blue eyes, the spirit wore the traditional dress of priestess.

"Who… in the…" Yahiko muttered while the rest could only stare in disbelief.

The spirit smiled and looked at Kaoru endearingly. "Hello, hime-chan…"

Kaoru opened her mouth to reply only to come up with a little squeak. The spirit merely laughed at her and tilted her head to one side and kneeled before them, her eyes happy yet sad.

"It has been a long time my hime-chan… I see your father has done a very good job of raising you." She whispered

Kaoru straightened herself from Kenshin's embrace and slowly tried to reach out to the woman before her, her eyes misting with tears. "Okaasan…"

The rest of the Kenshin-gumi stared at Kaoru then to the priestess. "Okaasan!" came both Sano and Yahiko's screech.

The gentle figure laughed gently at the surprised looks on the faces of her daughter's friends. She smiled tenderly as she reached out a hand to hold the one Kaoru had in front of her, their hands passing through one another.

Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to grasp her mothers hand. When she realized that there was no way that she would be able to hold her hand, she dropped her own and leaned into Kenshin's warm supporting embrace.

"I know that things that have happened here for the past month have been a surprise to all of you… most of all to you my dear hime-chan…" Kaoru's mother smiled a bit ruefully. "As you have thought, I did know what was to happen to you even after I died. I knew when your father was going to leave you, and I also knew the day that a certain red headed rurouni would walk into your life." She sighed and looked up to the clear blue sky.

"You don't know how hard it is for a mother to know all the hard-ships that her only daughter was to face and there's nothing she can do about it… I tried to guide you as best as I could Kaoru-chan… I even told your father not to join the war…" she shook her head in resignation. "Not that he would ever listen… he's always been as stubborn as a mule!"

Kaoru looked at her mother in a quiet assessing glance. "You knew everything?" she whispered in disbelief

Her mother smiled, "Not almost everything, but I knew that you'd be strong and that you'd do everything you thought was right… that everything will be fine once that certain rurouni stepped into your life."

All heads turned to stare at Kenshin before they all turned back to the priestess before them. "Did you know everything that was going to happen up to now?" Sano asked her politely

Kaoru's mother winced, "not entirely all of it… but I just saw bits and fragments of the future that has been set out for my daughter. It was the least I could do before I passed away." She answered him

"Then what about the separation spell that Kenshin read accidentally?" Yahiko asked her

A crystalline gleam glittered in her eyes. "Ohhh… I definitely knew about that… why don't you think I created a counter spell for that?"

Jaws dropped simultaneously in shock. It was kaoru who had recovered first, a bright red flush appearing on her cheeks. "You knew I could find a way to counter that spell…" she whispered

"Oh… yes… definitely!" the deadly gleam seemed to intensify as she eyed Kenshin and she stood up. "You. With me. Now." she told Kenshin as she floated through the dojo panel.

Kenshin looked at his friends before he stood up and followed Kaoru's mother inside the dojo. As the panel closed behind him, all of them looked at each other and crowded closer to the door to listen what was going to happen inside the dojo.

They all slowly looked upward when they heard someone cough from above them. Four sweatdrops appeared when they saw Kaoru's mother give all of them disapproving frown. They all laughed nervously before they moved away from the door.

Kaoru watched worriedly at the closed shoji before she sighed.

**What on earth is mom going to do?** She thought worriedly.

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AN: Whoeeee! Sorry if it took me this long to update! Last chappie to follow soon… (crosses fingers behind my back… I hope…) hope to hear more revies minna! And thanks for the wonderful reviews! Muah muah!

Aoi-chan


	10. one and the same

Rurouni and Battousai

Chapter 9: One and the same

Kenshin sat quietly before the eerie form of the woman before him. Kaoru's mother looked at him closely before she smiled, a small chuckle escaping her lips.

"You remember who I am, Battousai?"

Kenshin smiled along with her this time as he nodded his assent. "It's been quite a while, Tomoko-san. I had no idea that you were married…" he answered her

Tomoko laughed at him in obvious delight. "Yes, I was…" her eyes turned softy at him. "Tomoe-chan wishes you happiness, you know. She's wasn't happy at how much you've let yourself suffer after all these years…"

Kenshin's head lowered until his bangs hid his face. "Tomoe…?" he whispered

Tomoko looked at the young man sadly before her. "She doesn't blame you for what happened…" she sighed when she received no reaction from him. "To tell you the truth… I was quite surprised when I saw you in my visions all those years ago…"

Now, that caused a reaction form the red head. He looked at her in surprise, "When you came to the Ishinshishi… did you already know…" she cut him off with a slow shake of her head.

"Iie. I only knew after I came back home. I was worried for my little hime-chan… but then, I realized that the two of you would need each other just as much. One part of another. Still, you can't blame me if I got worried, ne? After all, you are an assassin…"

Kenshin looked at her and winced. Tomoko chuckled lightly and tilted her head a bit, still regarding him with deep sapphire orbs so much like Kaoru's. "Demo… I was quite taken with you when I first saw you… such a dark troubled soul for such a young child such as you." She shook her head again in resignation, "I saw my Kaoru-chan in you… don't ask me how, but somehow, when I looked at you, I felt that I was looking at my own hime-chan." She then stood and floated slowly towards him, she held his scarred cheek in her hand and smiled sadly. "Please take care of my little princess… she's all that we have left in this world…"

Kenshin straightened himself and nodded determinedly. "I promise I'll take care of her and I'll make her happy, Tomoko-san…" He then bowed down low to the floor before her. "Arigatou, Tomoko-san… for giving me this chance…" he whispered.

The priestess smiled sadly at him before she straightened. Looking at the door, she waved her hand gently causing it to open at her will. She stood there for a while before Kenshin heard the gentle light footfall on the floorboards and knew who was on her way to the door.

Kaoru stood before the open shoji and looked at her mother worriedly, her hands clasped at her chest.

Tomoko smiled gently at her daughter and urged her to come forward. As Kaoru stood before her, she grasped her daughter's hand and embraced her. "We will always be proud of you hime-chan. No matter what happens, remember that…"

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she felt her mother place a gentle kiss on her forehead. Kaoru turned to look at her mother as she moved behind her and gently pushed her forward to Kenshin. A soft whisper in her ear before she disappeared with the soft winds.

"Take care of him hime-chan… he's been through too much... bring him the happiness that he rightfully deserves…"

Kaoru looked down at Kenshin and smiled happily at him. Giving him her hand, Kenshin smiled up at her as he took her offered hand as he stood up. Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his face on the crook of her neck and breathed in deeply her sweet jasmine scent.

"Aishiteru… Kaoru-koishii…"

Kaoru tilted her head back and held his face in her hands, "Aishiteru… Kenshin… anata…"

With a gentle smile, Kenshin leaned forward and claimed her lips in a deep kiss.

Megumi, Sano and Yahiko all leaned at the shoji and smiled as the two lovers kissed. Both Sano and Yahiko were grinning widely while Megumi slowly wiped the tears from her eyes. Looking back to the clear blue sky, she smiled and leaned at the wall behind her. At her sigh the two beside her straightened and looked at her, "Oi, what's wrong Megumi?" Yahiko asked her.

Megumi looked down at Yahiko and back to the clear sky. "Nan demo nai…" she whispered, "I'm just happy. Those two have been through too much… I'm just happy that they finally have the chance to be happy."

Yahiko grinned up at her and sat down beside her and nodded. "It's about time, if you ask me."

Sano chuckled and chewed on his ever present fishbone, moved beside Megumi and draped his arm over her, ignoring her startled gasp, and leaned casually on the dojo wall behind them. "Yep… it's about time. If it wasn't for Kaoru's mother leaving that spell, I don't know for how long Kenshin and Kaoru could go on sneaking lovey-dovey eyes on each other."

Megumi chuckled and relaxed beside the rooster head, leaning her head on his shoulder, she smiled and closed her eyes. Everything was now as it should be…

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Three months later---

Kaoru yawned and stretched her arms above her head and brushed her hair down her back. She purred in delight as warm calloused hands gently massaged her nape. Tilting her head back, she let it drop until it rested on the crook of his shoulders, Kaoru moved her head a bit until she nuzzled his neck.

Kenshin chuckled at his wife's reaction. They had just been married for two days and Kenshin had never been happier.

"Hnnn… anata…"

Looking down at his wife's prone form, he continued his gentle massage. "Hnnn?"

"You never really told me what you and okaasan talked about when she visited us that day when I reversed the spell she left for us…"

He looked down at twinkling sapphire orbs, he couldn't help but chuckle himself. Wrapping his arms around his wife, he pulled her gently towards him right after he turned her around so that she could face him, her legs wrapped around him, straddling him in the process. Freefalling back to the futon, he held on to her so that she lay directly on top of him.

"I first met Tomoko-san when I was with the Ishinshishi. She did a reading for Katsura-san… I was assigned to be her bodyguard at that time. She with us for a few days, but I really never knew anything about her. All I knew was that she was a priestess, but I also remembered the way she would look at me. It was as if she could look directly into my soul despite all the barriers I've put up around me. She would also look after me like a little child… it was those times with her that I had felt a mother's love since my own."

Kaoru played with his hair for a few more minutes and smiled sadly. "So… you we're the one okaasan was talking about when she came back home."

He looked directly into her eyes, a silent question in them.

"She told me of a young man she had met. A beautiful young man with such a courageous heart yet was burdened with a troubled soul. She told me that in some ways, she saw me in that man she had met… she never told me his name…not even what he looked like." She tilted her head and grinned down at him, "So, how on earth was I to know that you would turn out to be that young man she had told me about…"

Kenshin chuckled and wrapped his hand around her raven hair. "She both gave us a gift, didn't she, koishii?"

"Mmmm…"

And with that Kaoru leaned forward and let her husband take her lips in a sensual kiss. Releasing his lips after a while, she traced his mouth with a fingertip as she whispered something to him that made his eyes glow with both amber and amethyst and roughly flipped them over that her was on top of her. He grinned dangerously before he took her lips in another ravenous kiss…

_Aishiteru, Kenshin… both Rurouni and Battousai… both of you… one and the same._

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AN: Hello minna! Sorry to have kept you waiting and I'm sorry to say that this is indeed the final part of the story… but, I'll be making more stories… just need time to make it… ehehehe. Anyweis, I've been busy for the past month thanks to our duties… oh well… as of now, I'm an official Escaflowne addict, but of course that won't stop me from being ever loyal to my Kenshin-sama! Ehehe… see you in the next story! Ja ne! and thank you to everyone who reviewed my story! Thank you thank you thank you! Muah muah!

Aoi-chan


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